What international relations majors can learn from Korean tensions

Apr. 9, 2013
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FILE - In this undated file photo released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and distributed in Tokyo by the Korea News Service on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, accompanied by military officers, inspects air drill at an undisclosed airbase in North Korea. / AP, file

by Rebecca Wickel, USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent

by Rebecca Wickel, USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent

More than 5,000 miles away, on the other side of the world, North Korea's missile testing may hit closer to home for college students than any other international issue.

"This conflict matters to college students because in several ways, it directly calls to the cyber generation," said Rachel Smith, a sophomore at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky. "Kim Jong Un himself is only 30 years old, making him a part of our generation. The recent rise of cyber attacks out of East Asia, which some are arguing is a quiet declaration of war in and of itself, is causing unrest and paranoia throughout the developed world."

Smith is not alone in connecting conflict in Asia and the academia in the United States. International relations professors agree this is one for the textbooks - and students should be taking diligent notes on four big ideas.

1) Conflict with North Korea offers an unparalleled comparison: Comparative politics is a major theme when studying international affairs, and issues revolving around the Koreas allow students to investigate two societies that really only differ in politics.

"North and South Korea are perfect examples for seeing how different systems work," said Dilshod Achilov, assistant professor of political science at East Tennessee State University. "They're the same people; they speak the same language; they have the same historical heritage; but their political ideologies and systems are polar opposites. So students can really see the impact of political systems on society."

2) International affairs are more than abstractions: Theories often dominate the political science classroom, but threats from North Korea involve a combination of complex issues that allow students to really grapple with definitions and principles of the field.

"The current North Korea situation lends itself well to teaching about several conceptual, as well as empirical, issues," said Ja Ian Chong, assistant professor of political science at the National University of Singapore. "I am using the North Korea situation to teach about international crises, crisis management, uncertainty, the risks of escalation, deterrence and coercion in international politics."

3) Conflict with one country is often about much more than a single nation: According to Chong, the crisis in North Korea may turn out as an important indicator of how China's new leadership handles tensions. Its implications not only affect the U.S., but Japan and South Korea.

"Most of what we do is aimed not at North Korea, but at the People's Republic of China, Japan and South Korea," said Robert Jervis, professor of international politics at Columbia University. "We want China to step up to the plate. A lot of what we're doing is reassuring South Korea, and in many ways it's harder to reassure allies than to deter adversaries."

4) The news media sometimes miss the point: When issues blow up in the news, that doesn't necessarily mean they're life or death. Bruce Cumings, history professor at the University of Chicago, said it's a paradox North Korea is able to get so much attention, when it will likely do nothing drastic.

"They're much shrewder than the media and many so-called experts give them credit for," he said. "They run up to the line and jump up and down like Rumpelstiltskin, and back away again. I haven't been nearly as worried as a lot of other people seem to be."